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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Quiet Time Boxes

Well, it has been a while since I had time to sit and write about what exciting language activities we are trying out in our home. We've been doing them, just not blogging about them! But now I am ready to share a whole bunch of exciting things that we've been doing.

First, let me share why we've been so quiet...

Here is my happy, crazy family (my husband is the one taking the photo!). In early February we welcomed our new little one into the world. We are so excited to have Big Sister and Little W to watch grow and learn. Here's what we are doing...

As the post title indicated we are working on Quiet Time Boxes. Big Sister is phasing out of napping (nooooooooooooo!) but I still need some rest time. I've started doing research on what should be in quiet time boxes and activities. I've been discussing ideas with other moms. The thing that we end up talking about is how much work these Quiet Time Boxes seem to be. I want to make it as easy as possible to give my daughter a variety of things to safely do and since I'm creating some materials, I'd like to share them with you.

The first thing I wanted was to make sure that I didn't put too many of the same type of activity in each box. Here is my little checklist so that I could keep track of what was in each box. Get the Quiet Time Checklist here. You can also print the Box Numbers here.

Next, I wanted to create a few simple activities that I could combine with a few store bought items. Since she goes to school a few days a week and we are busy on lots of weekends, we decided to make four boxes, plus they look neat in her room. Here is what my boxes look like:

Box 1

(puzzle, color hue sorting, writing pad and pencil, simple sight words with pictures on the back to self check if she is reading them correctly and letters on clothes pins for spelling practice, bean counting into Easter Eggs, wax sticks to trace shapes and counting/number cards)

(puzzle, bean counting into Easter Eggs, simple sight words with pictures on the back to self check if she is reading them correctly and letters on clothes pins for spelling practice, counting/number cards, writing pad with pencil and cards for a memory game)

When you look at the checklist, don't feel overwhelmed. Pick only a few activities for each box. My goal would be to have 4 to 5 activities in each box. Mine, as pictured above, may be a little bit too busy for Big Sister. But the beautiful thing is I can add, delete and substitute activities whenever I want. Also, make sure that all of the items in your boxes are age appropriate and safe. Dried beans are a choking hazard, so next time I'll use pony beads for a counting activities.

I hope to add a new activity that is theme based and/or seasonal each month. So keep looking back. If you add any fun activities to your boxes, please share them! In the mean time, enjoy your Quiet Time!

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About Me

I am a certified Speech Language Pathologist and a mom.
I partner with families and provide tools, tips and techniques to help their child improve communication.
I have been serving students with special needs for more than 12 years. My passion for communication really lies in working with parents, teachers, caregivers and others who are interacting with typically developing children to children who have communication needs. I love to teach and share, to bounce ideas off of others, to learn from parents what makes their child shine and go from there. I hope to share some things that will inspire you as you work with, play with, grow with your child.